Westernization
by xplaypienobody13
Summary: Chapter two out now. Is the Americanization of Japanese schoolgirls merely just a ploy to cover up some deviant conspiracy? ON HIATUS due to some Vista conspiracy...
1. I've seen the face of death, and it's :3

**Westernization**

**Chapter 1**:

A middling detective, a perverted shutterbug, and a seiyu discover their problems in an American/ Japanese horror-film and Japanese schoolgirls.

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own any of the characters or series featured in this fanfiction. I do own the basic plot, however, which binds this story together. Of course, any similarities to other stories are either coincidental, or, knowing the subject matter of this story, are fully intentional. You be the judge.

It's been awhile since I last wrote something. To make up for my absence, I am now working on this story, which is vastly different from anything I've ever written. The influences from my previous works are present, and may even play minimal parts in this plot. If you don't know some characters that appear, you can either check them on Google or Wikipedia, or just go along with the story, as everyone is basically a stranger to each other.

Wow, this disclaimer is still going. I feel like an Uwe Boll film. Anyways, enjoy, and don't expect something earthshattering, AKA, Homer's Odyssey.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 22- 9:00 A.M.**

"Dad! Dad, wake up! You have a meeting to get to."

The thirty-seven year-old drunk slowly opened his eyes and immediately looked upon his daughter's frowning face. He groaned and sat up, scratching his head and stomach in the process.

"What did you say, dear?" the man nearly whispered. He was hung over from drinking too much beer the night before. At least, he thought he had consumed beer…

"A client wants to meet you at the diner down the street. He said that time is of the essence. He sounded desperate, dad." His daughter replied.

The man processed that for a moment, and then spontaneously jumped up. "He better pay well. This is my week off." He mumbled. The drunk proceeded to dress up in his usual suit and headed for the door. He quickly turned around.

"Ran, would you be a dear and order something to eat for when I return?" Kogoro Mouri, the drunk, asked in an oddly-polite way. His daughter stared at him blankly.

"Wha…what did you call me…?" Ran asked, confusion evident on her features.

"I said your name… I'm not so hung-over that I forgot my daughter's name." Kogoro replied, an awkward expression on his face.

"Uh, my name's…Rachel, dad."

"Is this some kind of sick joke? What the hell kind of name is 'Rachel?'"

With that, Rachel grew angry. "Tell me, dad. Can you even remember your name?"

"Of course I do. My name is Kogoro Mouri, and I am a thirty-seven year-old private investigator." He proudly proclaimed. Rachel looked distressed.

"Dad, your name is Richard Moore, and…you're forty-three."

Richard's eyes flew wide open, and he gasped loudly.

"Maybe you should cancel the appointment…" Rachel said, about to bring her father to his bed.

"No, I guess I drank more than I thought. This new case will help me…unscramble my mind. Well, uh…I'll be going now." With that, Richard fled out of the room and began his journey to the diner.

As he reached his destination, he wondered if Conan was still named Conan. He'd find out later that day, he assumed, so he dropped the thought. The diner was filled with many suspicious and disturbing looking people. Any one of them could be his client.

It only took a minute for Richard to spot his target. His eyes were practically drawn to the sight. A grown man with blue hair was frantically glancing at his watch. He was all jittery and occasionally viewed pictures stored on his camera.

"Um, excuse me. I heard that you were requesting to see me. What do you need?" Richard asked. The man looked at him and produced something resembling a calm smile.

"Oh thank God; you're finally here. You are Kogoro Mouri, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"And have you also been called Richard Moore?"

Richard froze. "Yes. As of this morning, my daughter has called me that. In fact, she also claimed to have an entirely different name. Do you have any idea why?"

"No. Your daughter told me that name over the phone. I've called you here because strange events like this have been happening all over. Tell me, how old is your daughter?"

"Ran? She's seventeen. Why do you ask?"

"My daughter is also seventeen."

"And your point is?"

"Whatever is happening seems to be emanating from high-school girls. I have reason to believe that they will cause the end of the world."

"Where did you get that info?"

"Well…I didn't, actually. I read a similar plot in some manga. But that's beside the point. My beautiful little girl seems to be possessed by some powerful force, and it is spreading to her closest friends and family. Soon, I'll probably be infected too. I need you to help me save my girl. YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE!" The blue-haired man burst into tears and slammed his head onto the table.

"Well, sir, I'll be happy to help you, but I need more information. By the way, what's your name?"

The blue-haired man looked up at the detective. "My name is Sojiro Izumi."

Richard nodded. "Okay, Mr. Izumi, may I see a picture of your daughter?"

"Of course." With that, Sojiro pulled out a large photo album. He opened up to a page featuring a short girl with long blue hair. She wore a school uniform. "Her name is Konata." He said as he passed the album to the detective. Richard took one look at the picture and shrieked.

"KYAAA! What the hell's wrong with her face!?"

Sojiro looked at the picture and smiled awkwardly. "That's just the way she smiles. Never a day goes by without me seeing that adorable :3 grin walking about." The man seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Um…sorry about that. Anyways, tell me everything that you have witnessed."

"Okay. It all started four nights ago…"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Four Nights Ago_

_I was sitting on the family sofa and I turned on the television. The usual crap was on: Some old episode of Pok$#!n was on one channel, a terrible American movie was on another, and the news told similar stories of alleged Otakus committing mass genocide on their manga. You know, the usual stuff._

_Konata had gone out with her friends. She claimed that she was attempting to trigger the tsundere flag by traveling to a 'haunted' house she saw in a horror movie. Afterwards, she would sleep over the Hiiragi residence if everything went according to plan. I found her reasoning logical, so I allowed her to go without a second thought. Hence, I had the whole day to myself. _

_Atleast, that's what I thought would happen. At about ten o' clock at night, Konata waltzed on into the room. I was half asleep and still flicking through channels, so I barely noticed her. She immediately screamed out at an American film._

_"Keep it on this channel, dad! I love this movie!" Konata cried. I glanced at her._

_"What are you doing back here? Did everything go alright? Get any pictures of shrine maidens?" I asked. She didn't seem to hear me. Instead, her eyes literally became glued to the screen._

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Richard grunted in thought, and Sojiro looked at him.

"Have you thought of anything?" He asked, his voice filled with anticipation. Richard shook his head.

"What was the name of the movie your daughter was watching?" Richard questioned. Sojiro looked in the air for a moment and then spoke.

"I believe it was called Twilight."

Richard nodded. "Twilight, huh? Never heard of it."

"Yeah, neither have I, and I've heard of a lot of things."

"So, how are you able to view movies from America?"

"Konata must have purchased foreign channels. Maybe she wanted to compare Haruhi's English voice to the original."

Again, Richard nodded. His mind was still filled with many questions. "You mentioned before about a 'tsundere' and 'triggering a flag.' What does that mean?"

Sojiro smiled embarrassedly. "Oh, it's nothing you should be concerned about. Otaku vocabulary is not easily explained to outsiders."

Richard stared with a blank expression on his face. "What the hell is an O…never mind. Moving on, what horror film inspired your daughter to visit the 'haunted' house?"

The blue-haired man thought for two seconds, then immediately cried out. "Oh my God! Ju-on! The movie is Ju-on. My dear Konata has been cursed. She must have journeyed into the Saeki House with her friends and now they will all be killed! I shouldn't have allowed her to go. I'm responsible for the deaths of not only my daughter, but three other adorable school-girls as well! NOOOOO!!!!" Sojiro fell out of his chair and sobbed uncontrollably.

Richard lifted the man off of the ground and spoke. "Listen, there are no such things as curses. Besides, Ju-on is just a movie. The Saeki House doesn't exist. No one is going to kill your daughter or any of her friends. Not when… Detective Kogoro Mouri is on the case!" With that speech over, Richard struck a pseudo-heroic pose.

A man in the general vicinity began clapping slowly in the most cliché fashion. He had long, spiky hair that seemed to defy gravity, and he wore a black cloak. The man stood up and walked over to Sojiro and Richard.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." the man spoke, "I, for one, am honored to be in the presence of world famous detective Richard Moore."

"Why are people calling me that!?" Richard screamed. "My name is Kogoro Mouri.

The mysterious man smirked. "That's your American name."

Richard and Sojiro blinked. The man continued.

"I've been witness to a few strange events in the past four days as well. I have no explanation for why things have been happening, but I think I know _what_ has been happening."

Sojiro looked at the man. "Well, enlighten us. What the hell is wrong with my daughter?"

"Now, you've only told the beginning of your tale, but your experiences match up with mine. Whatever is taking over your daughter is…making her American."

Sojiro and Richard looked at each other and burst into laughter. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, and I've heard Ran compliment her mother's cooking!" The fathers continued to laugh. The mysterious man smiled.

"Fine, don't believe me. But when your daughter is lying face down in a gutter somewhere, don't come crying to me." With that, he began to leave. Sojiro's face went extra pale, and he screamed out.

"Wait, come back! Tell us everything you know!" the blue-haired man cried.

The man turned his head. "Well, for one, the movie is The Grudge, not Ju-on."

"The Grudge? You mean Ju-on: The Grudge?" Richard questioned.

"No. I mean The Grudge. An American remake of the film."

"Well, how do you know that?"

"I don't; it's just speculation. A colleague of mine brought it up two days ago, after learning that someone we knew went to a haunted house."

Sojiro jumped up. "Wait, you knew someone who went to the house?"

The man nodded. "Yes. She's even younger than your daughter. Four days ago, she and three other girls journeyed to the house. I have no idea why; I'm not in charge of them. Anyways, when they returned, they insisted on watching the New York Yankees play baseball. If that doesn't speak American, I don't know what does."

Richard remained silent, and Sojiro shook his head. "So, is that how far it went? Did the trouble escalate? Mine sure did. That night was just the beginning. My dear sweet Konata began to transform right before my very eyes."

"As a matter of fact, it did. But I'm not willing to tell you that right now. I'll leave the rest to Moore here. I'll find you guys when more events unfold." The spiky-haired man once again walked to the exit.

"Wait!" Sojiro shouted. "What's the name of the girl you told us about?"

"Her name's Namine. Maybe your daughter saw her at the house." The man left the diner.

Richard and Sojiro were left in their thoughts. Sojiro spoke first.

"So, what we do know is that the Saeki House curses schoolgirls that journey into it. This is bad. They're all going to die!"

"We don't know anything for sure. My daughter never journeyed to that house, and she thinks we have American names. Maybe some television program convinced our daughters to play cruel games on us."

"No. Your daughter must have gone to the house when you were sleeping. They're all going to die, and then, once we suffer from the regret, we're gonna get axed next. MAKE IT STOP!!" Sojiro once again burst into tears.

Richard grabbed Sojiro's shoulders and shook him. "Are you seriously going to believe this crap? You actually think that a house from an American film, which is based on a Japanese film, has possessed Japanese schoolgirls and is transforming them into American schoolgirls? That's the worst explanation I have ever heard!"

Sojiro wiped away the tears. "Well, then how do you explain it?"

"It's probably just a prank. But, seeing how you won't listen to reason, I guess I should use my skills to run a mini-investigation. We should start off with the Hiiragi residence, and eventually work our way to the Saeki House."

"Oh, thank you detective!" Sojiro cried. He clung to Richard for a moment, and then grabbed his camera.

"What's that for?" Richard asked. Sojiro smiled.

"Konata says the Hiiragi's are shrine maidens!"

"O….kay? Your really gonna have to fill me in on everything as we head there. I've seriously never met a stranger man in my life."

"Yeah; I get that a lot."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 19- 2:00 P.M.**

"AAANNNNDDD STAY OUT!" A voice shouted out as a man was tossed out of a four-story building. He landed in a pool and quickly swam to the surface.

"Boy, are you alright?" asked a nearby man. He was old and had a gray beard. He also spoke as if he was a terrible actor.

"Yeah, I think so." Replied the man in the pool.

"What's your name, son?"

"Min….Minoru Shiraishi. And I'm not young, sir. I'm actually thir…"

"Don't worry, boy; everything will be alright. Just remain there and I'll have the police investigate this immediately." The older man than walked off. Minoru defied his orders and left the pool, now soaking wet.

He walked along a trail surrounded by trees, thinking about what had just occurred. Akira Kogami, his co-host of _Lucky Channel_, had changed. Sure, she was always bipolar, but not like this. Minoru happened to claim that the Japanese voice actors for Naruto were far superior to the English ones. This caused a great dispute over the differences between Japan and America, which lead to him being tossed out of the building.

The strange thing was, Akira had never shown a liking for America. Why the sudden change of preferences?

Minoru's thoughts were pushed aside by the sound of shattering glass. It had emanated from beyond the trees to his right. Something inside of him forced him to run towards the noise.

He came to a clearing and saw an old house. An eerie atmosphere seemed to protrude from its front door, which seemed to be slightly opened. He was about to walk forward, but was stopped by the sound of familiar voices.

"Okay, fellow Edwardians. We must now prepare for the coming invasion of Edward Cullen haters and Harry Potter fanboys. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah; how long are you gonna dress up like Bella? You don't even look a thing like her."

"Ah, my fellow Kagamin. How naïve you are. Bella simply doesn't look like me."

Minoru shivered. Kagami and Konata were having an out-of-character conversation. Who the hell was Bella, and why was Konata not taking care in her cosplay?

Miyuki lifted her hand into the air, and Konata pointed at her. "Yes, Yuki-chan, what is it?"

"Um, well, it's kind of embarrassing, but I'm in Team Jacob; not Team Edward."

Everyone stared at their Moe friend. She was too precious to be shunned, however, so they all ran over to hug her.

Minoru had to get closer to see what was going on. They had to be playing a game. He snuck closer, but quickly hid inside the eerie house when the girls looked in his direction. The door suddenly swung shut, locking him inside.

"Hey, that's not funny. Who did this?" He called, attempting to hide the discomfort in his voice. He slammed on the door, but nothing happened. Footsteps sounded upstairs, and Minoru gulped.

"Show yourself. This isn't funny! I've fought bears, you know. If you don't show yourself now, I'll be forced to beat you down. I've…"

A slam sounded behind him, and he yelped in fright. He turned immediately and saw the old man from the pool.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" Minoru gasped. The man grimaced.

"I told you to stay in the pool, boy." The old man grabbed Minoru's throat with intense strength. Minoru tried to cry out, but no noise would come.

A clicking noise sounded throughout the room, and the next thing Minoru knew, he was all alone in a dark and dirty bathroom. He rose from the ground and looked into a mirror. He could barely see anything; even himself. A low guttural moan droned into his ears. It was emanating from the bathtub. He slowly looked inside…

Meanwhile, the old man had returned to the pool with police. Minoru was no longer in the pool.

"Damn it. I told him to stay here, Inspector. I really did." The old man said. He spoke as if he was reading from a script.

Inspector Juzo Megure, the present inspector, nodded. "So, a kid was tossed out of a four-story building and landed in this pool. He also was uninjured. Do you have any idea where he could have run off to?"

"No sir. This is a big place, and he could have gone…anywhere." The old man still seemed like a bad actor.

"Hmm, maybe I should report this to Kogoro. A lot of other strange things have been happening today. This country sure seems to be going to Hell." Megure spoke. He took out his phone and was about to call Kogoro, but the old man took the phone.

"Don't you dare call that drunk detective, Joseph. If he interferes now, all these years of preparation would disintegrate before _his_ very eyes, and when _he_ gets angry, people will die. You'll be placed high on the target list, and you will die slow and painfully."

Megure stared at the old man with a blank expression on his face. "Wh…who are you. And why did you call me Joseph?"

The man spoke again. "In due time, everything will become clear. Just make sure you tell Richard nothing about this. He'll find out in three days, anyways. Some man named Sojiro will request his help. By then, the events will be irreversible." The old man then threw the phone, and himself, into the pool.

"Sir. SIR!" yelled Megure. The other officers, who had just watched the events unfold, attempted to save the man. Once the body was recovered, however, it was too late. He had drowned himself, taking whatever secrets he knew with him to the grave.

Megure knew he should, but doubt prevented him from bringing this and many other cases to Kogoro, or Richard, as the old man called him.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 22- 10:25 A.M.**

Deep inside the basement of the Hiiragi residence, two people stepped out of a strange ray of light. One man had blond hair and a blond beard, and the other seemed to have dreadlocks.

"Is this the place, Xaldin?" the Blond man asked?

"Yep. I sense many rip-offs present here, Luxord, but they're not all fanfictions. The rest are from American films, books, games, and other paraphernalia."

"Damn. Where do we start?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I sense yuri somewhere above us. That's bound to be hot. Let's go check that out and hope it doesn't rip anything off. We work from there."

"I'm down with that!"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luxord and Xaldin, two nobodies that established the Fanfiction Police on June 24, 2006, went upstairs in an attempt to find the hot yuri scene taking place at the Hiiragi residence. At the same time, Richard Moore and Sojiro Izumi are heading for the same exact house in order to discover more about this mystery.

Will they find out more about these strange happenings? Who was the old man who appeared in the flashback. What was Minoru's fate in the flashback, and why are the 'Lucky' girls obsessing over an overrated series that makes Postal's plot look like a masterpiece? Why hasn't Tsukasa said a single word yet? Why am I using an unfunny question gag that was old years before it came out? Will Saix and Demyx ever find out what cheese is made out of? And, will hot yuri be discovered upstairs?

If you actually care about these answers, then I recommend you review. If you don't, Haruhi will eat your soul in your sleep. Oh yeah; she'll go there…

**Series featured in chapter: Case Closed/Detective Conan, Lucky Star, Kingdom Hearts, Twilight, ????? 2 (?), Ju-On/ The Grudge (?) **


	2. Moes with Ithacas? Surely you jest!

**Westernization**

**Chapter 2**:

**The middling detective and the perverted shutterbug find themselves in a quandary; high school girls are attacked by dissimulators; iniquity is pushed to the spotlight; and the seiyu discovers a meganekko.**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, except the plot…and this long chapter title. If you're expecting a boring disclaimer, there's one at the end of the chapter.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 19- 4:45 P.M.**

A lone figure sat in an oversized chair at the Kyoto Animation studio in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. They observed several shows displayed on the monitors; thirteen, in fact. Of those thirteen, two made their blood boil. K-On, an anime which had aired recently, was the first one. To be fair, not too much damage had been done. Sure, it may have amassed a fanbase which would steal fans of _their_ series, but what show wouldn't do that.

However, the other anime, the _target_, had become so popular that the figure's series had been forced into the shadows. After these next few days, though, that would no longer be a problem. That dreadful anime would crumble, along with any other series that got involved.

Another figure entered the room. They were holding a clipboard full of many important papers. "I have just received news that some seiyu has found her, and that the dead man called Grandpa Seth has misinformed 'Joseph.' He then launched his body into a pool, had his corpse 'drown,' and journeyed back to Hell… Where do you find these people?"

The sitting figure smirked. "Well, the mission is going well. What about those two 'fanfiction police' you told me about?"

"They're still in their universe. Sometime during these next three days, they will journey back to the website. Do you really want me to alter their course?"

"Yes; they are a vital component of this plan."

"May I ask why?"

"If I answer, our agreement would be off. You don't want that, do you?"

"NO! No, I don't. Um, what should I do now."

"Extract more American knowledge from the subject. In order for this plan to work, those 'schoolgirls' must continue to turn as stereotypically American as possible."

"O…kay. Why those schoolgirls, though?"

"Don't ask questions." With that, the sitting figure sent their assistant out of the room. They then returned to the anime displayed on the monitors...

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

**August 22- 10:30 A.M.**

Sojiro and Richard/ Kogoro hailed a cab and journeyed to the Hiiragi residence. Upon reaching their destination, they paid the driver, and slowly approached the front door.

"So, do you think Konata will be at this house right now? It sure would be helpful if I could meet her." Richard said.

"I have a feeling that she's here. She usually always is. If not, we just get permission to search the house for clues." Sojiro proclaimed.

Richard began stroking his chin in thought. "You know, Sojiro, your daughter's friend may be behind all this. If it's something serious, I won't hesitate to have her apprehended."

"I know, but I just don't believe that a schoolgirl could be behind all this confusion."

"Speaking of this confusion, you still haven't told me all of the details of your predicament."

"I'll tell you once we're done here." With that, both men reached the door and knocked.

Inside, Luxord and Xaldin turned their heads at the sound of knocking.

"Crap, someone's here. Hide!" Luxord whispered. The knocking continued for a moment, and a man began speaking.

"Hello! It's me, Izumi Sojiro. I came to pick up my daughter."

Xaldin glanced at Luxord. "Could his daughter be the source of the yuri we're sensing?"

"What does it matter? We don't know him, and this isn't our house. I suggest we head back to our portal."

"No; we still need to check upstairs. There is yuri in this house, damn it!"

"Fine, but we must make it quick. A spare key to this house is probably outside, waiting for that man to find it. It always happens in fanfictions."

Xaldin and Luxord tiptoed up the stairs and came to a closed door. "Ah ha! We've found the yuri!" Xaldin cried. He pushed open the door, but was disappointed at what he saw. One girl, who had black hair and wore glasses, was sleeping on a bed. A notebook was open and rested next to her.

"What the!? This isn't yuri. It's a sleeping girl!" Xaldin moaned.

"And an underage girl, at that…" Luxord drawled. "Maybe there's something in this notebook."

Luxord grabbed the notebook and flicked through all of the pages. His nose immediately began to bleed.

"Holy crap! Look at this!" Inside the pages were numerous drawings, ranging from girls with long hair making out to short-haired girls hugging each other.

"Well, these drawings are good, but they're not the yuri we're looking for." Xaldin proclaimed. "I guess we better head back to our portal and find the whereabouts of the rip-offs in this universe." With that, both men left the room, leaving the sleeping girl behind.

Outside, Sojiro and Richard found a spare key to the house.

"You do know that we can't enter someone's house if they're not home. That's illegal…" said Richard.

"Listen, my daughter's life may be in danger; yours too. This house may give us clues. If anything, we might be able to find the Saeki House's location."

"We either need to wait for the owners to return, or get a valid permit to search the house. This could be considered breaking and entering, and I don't…" Richard began, but Sojiro unlocked the door and walked inside.

Richard sighed, looked around to make sure no one saw what was happening, and walked in as well. The first floor of the house was empty, but several items had been moved.

"Has… someone been searching around here?" Sojiro asked, worried.

"Probably just the owners. Maybe they lost their car keys, or something."

"Maybe…how about we try upstairs? There's nothing else down here."

"Fine." Both men walked upstairs and came to the room with the sleeping girl.

"Is this Hiiragi?" Richard asked. Sojiro looked and gasped.

"No! That's one of Yutaka's friends!"

"Wait, who's Yutaka?"

"She's my niece. Stay there; I need to check if she's okay." Sojiro explained as he ran towards the young girl. She stirred and muttered in her sleep.

"So, where is your niece?" Richard asked.

"She went on a trip with her other friend, Minami. She shouldn't return for another week." The blue-haired man explained.

The black-haired girl slowly opened her eyes after another few moments.

"Huh…where am I?" She asked groggily. Her eyes slowly took in her surroundings, and finally came to the face of a strange smiling man.

"AH!" She screamed. She punched Sojiro in the face and sat up. She noticed who the man was, though, and blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, Izumi-san."

"N…No problem, Hiyori. But, you seriously don't know where you are?"

Hiyori thought for a moment, but frowned. "No idea. You know where we are, right?"

"Yeah; we're in the Hiiragi household."

"What? How the hell did I get here?"

Richard closed his eyes in thought. Finally, he asked what he thought was the most obvious question. "I didn't catch your full name. What is it?"

"I'm Tamura Hiyori."

"Great. Now, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Um, Izumi-san? Who is this?" Hiyori whispered. Sojiro explained who Richard was, and what they were investigating.

"Do you know where Konata is?" she asked.

"Not exactly, but I'm confident she's with Kagami somewhere."

"Tamura, if it wouldn't be much trouble, could you tell me everything you remember? We may get a lead from all of this." Richard said. Hiyori nodded.

"Okay, I'll try. Yesterday, Patricia-chan and I went to the arcade as usual. It was just us two, but she acted strange, as if someone was stalking her or something. She claimed that she was fine, though, so I thought nothing of it."

"Patricia? That must be a foreign name, right?" Richard interrupted.

"Yep. Patricia-chan is from America." Hiyori explained. Something clicked in Richard's brain, but he didn't notice.

"Hm. So, what happened next?"

"Well, I was really tired last night, so I slept over at Patricia-chan's house. I can't remember much, but I do know that the end of the Obon Festival was being shown on the television."

Richard and Sojiro gasped. "Wait, this happened last night?" they asked loudly. Hiyori blinked.

"Yeah. It usually always ends on the 16th." She stated.

Richard grew a perplexed look and Sojiro looked around uncomfortably. "Um, today is the 22nd. There's no way that could have been last night." Richard said with concern audible in his voice. Hiyori's face went pale.

"It's…been over… five days…" she stated blankly in shock. Richard put his hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, everything's going to be all right. I'm gonna sort this predicament out." Richard said quietly. Hiyori started crying.

"How will everything be all right? Someone brought me over to this house for some reason. Patricia-chan could be tied up somewhere; all alone in some dark, cold basement. Hell, I don't even know if she's alive. Some pervert could've had his way with her and tossed her into the river. PATRICIA!" she sobbed. Sojiro hugged her, trying to think of something comforting to say.

Richard turned his head and realized that the situation had most likely escalated. This girl didn't seem to be making up any of her story. Someone had brought her into the Hiiragi residence, and her American friend was nowhere in sight. She couldn't remember anything between the 16th and the 22nd. Could this be some high-school prank, set up by the Hiiragis' or even Patricia?

No, that couldn't be it. Ran had been acting strange, as well. That spiky-haired man at the diner had warned of forthcoming danger. Perhaps something serious was going on, and their daughters were the targets of some cult or serial killer. Richard shivered at that thought. He realized that Sojiro wasn't enough help. He needed to call Inspector Megure…

In the basement, Xaldin and Luxord found themselves to be trapped. They couldn't leave through the way they had arrived. Was this an accident, or some planned scheme? Either way, they would have to go back upstairs.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 20- 6:00 P.M.**

A girl carrying a large bag ran into a small forest. The sky was gray and nothing made a sound. The forest seemed to have been forgotten by the world, left to die in its own self-pity. The girl walked to the eighth tree on the right. She knocked three times and a small hatch in the ground opened. She carefully slid in, holding the bag over her head. Upon landing safely, she casually strolled forward.

"I'm back with the food, guys." She said. Immediately, three other girls came running out from behind broken-down furniture and surrounded the bag. Inside were three cups of ramen; splintered pieces of wood; cabbage; and other assorted items.

"Wow, Kagamin, where did you find these?" Konata Izumi asked.

"I managed to take them from an abandoned market. It was pretty eerie. I saw absolutely no one on the way there. But that market is pretty much useless, now. The rest of the food is spoiled and unhealthy, and getting sick now would leave us open." said Kagami Hiiragi.

"I hope everyone's safe." said Tsukasa Hiiragi quietly. She was referring to hers' and Kagami's family, who had been separated from them on the 18th. That was when the 'imposters' halted their normal lives.

"I'm certain they're all right, Tsukasa-chan." said Miyuki Takara kindly.

"Yeah, they're alright, I bet. They're probably on vacation right now. With 'us.'" Konata said, anger evident in her voice.

"Speaking of that, did any of you spot 'us' somewhere outside lately? You know, since the time we fought them?" Kagami asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"No, those cowards refuse to show themselves again. You'd think after stealing our identities that they'd at least kill us quickly. Instead, they force us to hide underground in fear that we will be found. Even if they do capture us, though, they'll probably torture us slowly and painfully. Finally, they'll have their ways with us and toss our leftovers in some river." Konata ranted. Everyone stared blankly at her, and Tsukasa started crying.

"Um, Kona-chan, perhaps we should look at this situation in a brighter light. A little hope never hurt anybody." Miyuki said innocently. Konata looked at Miyuki and Tsukasa, and then nodded.

"Sorry, Yuki-chan. It's just that the thought of that imposter putting her grubby little fingers all over my manga gets me infuriated beyond belief." Konata said with her fist clenched in front of her face. Kagami smiled.

"You do know that you called your own fingers grubby, right? Just pointing that out." She said in a joking tone.

"Ah, there's classic Kagamin; always coming up with retorts, even in the face of Armageddon." Konata said in mock-admiration.

"What do they want with us, though?" Tsukasa asked. Konata spoke up quickly.

"It's fairly obvious. Some creep stalker at our school probably made clones of us so he wouldn't feel so lonely. However, those clones lacked some key traits of our characters, thus causing the creator to banish them. Those clones now plan to kill us, thus forcing him to be satisfied with the next-best thing. However, we are higher levels than they are. Killing us will take time." She said casually.

Kagami groaned and shook her head in disbelief. "Only you would think of something like that."

"I think you're jealous, Kagamin. You don't have a better explanation for this ordeal."

"Shut up! Why would I be jealous of you, especially at a time like this?"

"I'm not sure, Kagamin. Maybe you secretly adore everything I have to say, and just wish deep down that you could be me, if only for a day.

Kagami blushed and lowered her head. "Sh…shut up!"

A blast sounded above. "That sounded like a gunshot." Kagami whispered. Konata sprung into action.

"You guys stay here. I'll go investigate. It may be one of those creeps." She said.

"No!...I'm coming with you." Kagami said. Konata frowned, but nodded. There was no use trying to stop her.

"Okay, fine. You two, stay hidden down here, no matter what. If we don't return by midnight, hide in the shadows and head to the next town." Konata said to Miyuki and Tsukasa. With terrified expressions, they both nodded. Kagami and Konata then climbed out of the hideout.

Konata motioned for Kagami to stay behind her as she hid by a tree. Two figures were walking along, one holding a gun towards the ground. They seemed to be talking to each other.

"Okay, Kagamin. We need to rush them. I'll take the one on the left. You get the one on the right. Bonk them over the head, and this should all go smoothly."

"But, how do we know that they're searching for us? They could just be survivors like us. That gun is probably for protection."

"Can't take chances, Kagamin. All of our lives could be in danger if they continue to wander about."

"Okay. You haven't let me down yet." With that, both girls ran towards to two figures. That slammed down on their heads, and the figures fell without a sound.

"We got 'em!" Kagami cried. Konata looked closely at the figures, and realized what was happening. The figures were just puppets, and one of their strings led to a tree in the distance.

"Get down, Kagamin!" she shouted as she pounced on Kagami. Three arrows darted over the girls, and became lodged in a tree.

"Wha…what was that?" Kagami asked, looking up at Konata. Their eyes met, and Kagami saw something flash in the other girl's eyes; uncertainty and fear.

Konata quickly pulled Kagami up and dragged her back to the hideout. Upon opening the door, though, she came face to face with a Model 37 Ithaca Defense Gun. Miyuki was holding the Ithaca, and Tsukasa was in the back holding a Ruger Standard .22 caliber pistol.

"Y…Yuki-chan?" Konata said, out of breath. Miyuki shook her head and pushed the gun closer.

"You guys… were clones all along. Where's the real Miyuki, and where's my sister?!" Kagami cried. Tsukasa stood beside Miyuki and raised her gun. Kagami felt fully defeated.

"We have yet to find those two, but don't worry; we'll find them soon enough. Maybe they'll make it out better than you guys." 'Miyuki' said. She placed her finger around the trigger. "Oh, and don't feel bad. You never had a chance, anyway. Our reinforcements are scattered throughout this forest. If we didn't catch you, they would have."

"Close your eyes, Kagamin." Konata said, gritting her teeth as the gun pushed on her forehead.

"Please, let Konata go! I don't know what you want from us, but if one of us has to die, take me. Just leave her alone!" Kagami cried. 'Miyuki' smiled and motioned for 'Tsukasa' to fire as well. A gun was pressed to Kagami's head. Both girls closed their eyes.

A gunshot sounded throughout the forest…

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 19- 3:45 P.M.**

"What's the body's name?" Inspector Megure asked Officer Takagi.

"Well, the only information we could get is that his name is Seth. His daughter is named Diana, who was married to a man named Michael Waits. Together, they had two children. Sadly, though, we could not make any contact with them."

"Hm, is that all?"

"Well, no, actually. If you hadn't already guessed, he was American. I found this note in his pockets. It was wrapped up in saran wrap, and was written in Kanji. It listed the info I just told you. I had some officers run a quick search through an American database, and we found some startling information."

"Well, what is it?"

"Seth has been dead for about 17 years; maybe more."

"Wha…How the hell is that possible?"

"I just assume they found the wrong name. Of course, they did mention that the database seemed different from before. It seemed to have been set to display this man's information with minor struggle."

"Well, run the search again. I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Another case, sir?"

"No, I'm going to find the boy Seth claimed to have seen fall out of a window. Maybe he'll turn out to be a vampire, or something."

"Would you like some officers to help in the search?"

"No, I'll be fine. You guys wrap up this case." With that, Megure entered his vehicle and drove on, hoping to get some answers.

**Meanwhile…**

A clicking noise sounded throughout the room, and the next thing Minoru knew, he was all alone in a dark and dirty bathroom. He rose from the ground and looked into a mirror. He could barely see anything; even himself. A low guttural moan droned into his ears. It was emanating from the bathtub. He slowly looked inside…

In the tub was a girl, about the age of seventeen. She had brown hair, and brown eyes under a pair of glasses. She seemed to be unconscious. Her hand clutched the drain, which was now unplugged. The water made the guttural moan as it gurgled down the rusted pipes.

"Hey, are you alright?" Minoru asked as he shook the girl awake. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Huh. Where am I?" she asked.

"I'm not too sure, but I think were in some old, eerie house."

"Hm, that's strange." The girl took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "So, what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Shiraishi Minoru. What's yours?"

"I'm Mizuhara Koyomi. Are…you here to rescue me?"

Minoru smiled. "Um, sure. Did someone trap you here?"

Yomi looked up at the ceiling. "Yes, a terrible man took me from my home. He tied me up, and the rest is all a blur."

"What was this man's name?"

"His name was… Richard Moore."

"Okay. I'll find this Richard Moore and make him pay for what he has done to you."

"You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course. Odds are, he's probably the reason I was brought here."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now, let's get out of here." Minoru lifted Yomi out of the tub, and escorted her to the door. It was unlocked, so they managed to escape. The front door also turned out to be unlocked, which was odd, as it had been locked when Minoru was attacked by the strange old man.

Outside, the sun was out, and there was no sign of the girls that were previously out there. Seeing how the coast was clear, Minoru and Yomi ran off. Minoru hoped to return to the four-story building he had been tossed out of, so he followed the same path surrounded by trees. If anything, he needed to apologize to Akira for speaking his own opinion. Maybe she would help him out with this predicament and search for Richard; no, that was a futile thought.

The two arrived at the pool, but found that it was surrounded by police. "Um, is something wrong, sir?" Minoru asked a nearby officer. It was Officer Takagi.

"Well, yes. A man reported that a boy had been kicked out of a window and ran off. The man who called us then drowned himself. Why do you need to know? Do you live here?"

Minoru thought for a moment. If he revealed that he was the 'boy' who fell out of the building, then he would have to be questioned, which would disrupt his upcoming search. Also, Akira would be questioned and possibly arrested. He didn't want to think of the consequences of that event.

"No, sir; Just curious by nature. Good day, officer."

"Well, uh, good day to you, too." They then ran off. Yomi, who hadn't said a word in a while, suddenly spoke up.

"Hang on; I need to go make a phone call. I'll be right back." She said. She took out a few coins, and ran back to the pool.

"Wha…wait!" Minoru shouted back. He didn't follow her, though. He just assumed she was going to use a payphone around the building.

Three minutes passed before she returned.

"Sorry about that. Let's go now." She said with an innocent smile on her face. Minoru gave a fake smile back.

"Well, uh, do you have any idea where to start searching?"

"Not entirely sure, but there is someone I want to check up on. I met her yesterday, and she was with me just a few minutes before I met Richard. We should visit her house."

"Okay. You know how to get there?"

"Yep. Follow my lead." Minoru followed Yomi, oblivious to what he was getting himself into.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**August 22- 5:30 A.M.**

A man wearing a spiky-haired wig that seemed to defy gravity entered the Kyoto Animation studio. A girl was behind the receptionist's desk.

"Hey, the head of this place wanted to see me?" He asked. He wore a long, black cloak.

"Oh, uh, right. This way sir." She said shyly. She escorted the man to the monitor room, where the ringleader was sitting in their oversized chair. The girl bowed before the cosplayer and left quickly.

The man in the wig waited for a response from the figure, but none came. He decided to say the first word.

"Um, so, I heard you wanted me today. If you can't see in this light, I purchased the outfit you wanted. Who's Axel, by the way?"

The figure in the chair looked up. "Axel is who you shall become." They said. "You have purchased a Halloween costume of a character from a videogame franchise. This costume shall now become your identity."

"What do you mean?" The man, now Axel, asked.

The figure in the chair stood up and walked over to Axel. "I need you to deliver a message to two men in a bar in Tokyo. If you do that, I'll ensure that you never have to work a day for the rest of your life. Of course, you need to be as convincing as humanly possible. Can you handle it?" They whispered.

Axel grinned. "Of course I can handle it. So, what's the message?"

The figure spent the next moments explaining that Axel's targets were a man with blue hair and the man he was talking to. He needed to bring up the Westernization theory to the men, mention the American adaptation of Ju-On, and make up a story that Namine, also from his series, wandered into the Saeki House. Finally, to ensure the men listened, he needed to threaten their daughters. This would set up the final moves of this game.

"So, I have to be there by 9:00 A.M?" Axel asked. The figure nodded. "Understood. You know, to be completely honest, I expected you to be some overweight man in the mafia when I first heard of you. I wasn't prepared to meet someone like you." Axel said playfully. The figure laughed.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Anyways, I'm flattered…I think. Well, I'll be anticipating your return." Axel bowed before the leader, and exited the building.

The figure sat back down on their chair and phoned the secretary. "He should return by 11 o'clock. Ensure that everything is set up by then. It's time to test out the new prototype."

"O…okay." The secretary said. She hung up the phone and sighed. So much was going to be destroyed, all for no reason. Her leader had seemingly gone insane. Their sights were set on far more than that anime show. It had expanded beyond that.

She tried to look on the bright side. Once this was all over, she could live the life she always wanted, with the person she wanted by her side.

Anyways, who could say that her life was less important than those about to die?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Next Haruhi's Hint: "Amnesia"**

Well, that's chapter two for you. Seems a lot darker than the first chapter. Well, that's fiction for you.

And, in case anyone is doubtful, I just want to say that I know exactly how this plot will turn out. I am not making it up as I go along.

Read and review, please. Of course, by now, you may be wishing for this author's note to end. Well, it's almost done. Remember, if you review, these disclaimers will become shorter, and may disappear completely! As M. Bison would say, "YES! YES!!"

**Some featured characters/ proper nouns not from Lucky Star and Case Closed: **

**Axel, Luxord, Xaldin= Kingdom Hearts**

**Koyomi Mizuhara= Azumanga Daioh**

**Seth= Troll 2**

**Saeki House= Ju-on/ The Grudge**


End file.
